Ankara denies harassing helicopter with Greek defense chief

Turkey on May 4 denied allegations that Turkish forces had harassed a helicopter carrying Greek Defense Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos over the Aegean Sea.

"Any harassment of the helicopter carrying Greece's national defense minister on board is out of the question," said Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy in a statement.

Aksoy went on to say Turkish fighter aircraft had merely carried out a routine aircraft identification over the Aegean.

"Dramatizing routine flights so as to sow tension is not to Greece's benefit," he added.

"Instead, these issues should be taken up within the process of confidence-building measures launched between the defense ministries of both countries," he urged.